Akatsuki's problem
by AkatsukiPixie
Summary: The Akatsuki are gaining power and recongnition, most of them anyways. Yobiri who usually hides in the darkness of the base has now been commanded to go on missions with his new partner and get vital items for the Akatsuki's final plan.
1. Chapter 1 An unfriendly Face

Yobiri flicked back his short blond hair and then looked up at the leader of the organization. The leader Pein looked at him curiously and then blinked quietly, his amber Rinnegan eyes glowing in the darkness of his office. Leaning back in his seat Pein asked calmly "So, Yobiri. I've been noticing that you don't socialize with the others much."

Yobiri looked at him, his fierce blue eyes glowering like ice, and replied "So? Pein-sama, how am I supposed to put up with them? All they ever talk about are rather pointless things."

Pein sighed and then grumbled. "Listen, Yobiri, unless you get to know the members of our organization, you won't learn there pet-peeves or their strategic abilities."

Yobiri looked at the leader slightly irritated and then said "Fine. I'll do it. I'll get to know every member. Happy?"

Pein stood up with a wide grin and then replied. "Very."

Yobiri walked heavily, his feet dragging against the ground as he entered the common room where a few members of the Akatsuki were sitting minding their own business. Taking a deep breath Yobiri brushed back his blond hair out of his icy eyes and went to sit beside a person wearing a bright, orange swirly mask. Tobi turned his head over to Yobiri and looked at him through the one hole in his mask. "Who are you?" the lollypop masked person asked Yobiri. Yobiri muttered his name quietly quickly to be replied by Tobi yelling "I'm Tobi!"

Slipping an orange lollypop from his sleeve Yobiri grinned and then said "Look it's you." Tobi giggled as Yobiri handed him the lollypop "Enjoy."

Tobi squeaked and took the lollypop into his gloved hands. He tore off the top of the lollipop and stuck it into his mouth under his mask, handing Yobiri back the stick.

Yobiri shook his head and then muttered "No thanks, you can keep it." Tobi squealed happily and stuck the stick down his cloak with a swift, fluid motion. Yobiri grinned and then asked casually. "So Tobi, What kind of jutsu do you use?"

Tobi ran his hand through his hair and was about to reply to Yobiri's question when a certain annoying voice penetrated their conversation. Yobiri turned around quickly to face the only other blond member of the Akatsuki, Deidara.

Deidara commented loudly into Yobiri's ear "Tobi won't tell you anything, un. He's not even a full-fledged member of the Akatsuki, un. Tobi shook his head

"You are wrong," Tobi contradicted. "I have been accepted into the Akatsuki, Danna, as your partner."

Deidara looked at Tobi in disbelief. "No way, un. What about Sasori?"

Yobiri intervened and asked "Do you mean Sasori-san, the puppet master? I'm his new partner."

Deidara hissed at Yobiri's words and quickly dashed out of the room yelling "SASORI! WHY!" Tobi giggled as he watched his Danna dash out of the room and quickly followed Deidara out of the room in a quick run.

Yobiri sighed heavily and placed his fingers on his brow. He ran his fingers down his soft face and lightly touched the smooth chain around his neck. Yobiri's fingers tan over a smooth circular pendant and looked up at the ceiling. With his mind, Yobiri traced patterns on the white roof until he heard someone entering in the room.

With a shake of his head Yobiri turned his attention to a lithe figure leaning against the door. The man flicked his dark red hair casually and waited for Yobiri to walk to him, obviously playing himself as the more powerful of the two. Yobiri bowed his head slightly and then slowly walked over to the person, standing in the doorway. Yobiri bowed deeply as he approached and then smiled in a friendly yet shy expression. "I am Yobiri Itadaka."

The person nodded slightly, remaining silent and lifted his hand in the motion of a handshake. The blond, lifted up his hand to meet the other's. As the member's hand touched Yobiri's he instantly recognized that this person was no human. The lesser Nin quickly bowed again and then murmured "Sasori-sama."

Pulling back his hand Sasori looked at Yobiri with his dark hazel eyes before saying calmly. "You're really short."

Yobiri smiled and then retorted with a small chuckle "Well you're not exactly tall."

Sasori didn't smile at the comment and only continued, "We have a mission in a few days, and I expect you'll be ready by then, Blondie?"

Yobiri nodded coolly "Yes, Sasori-sama. I will be there." Casting a glance out into the hallway Yobiri flicked his hair back with his hand and then lied. "May I be excused? I would like to go and clean myself up; I just came from a mission."

Sasori nodded slowly. "You may leave, Blondie, however you don't have to lie."

Yobiri winced at the name he had been given and quickly ran out into the hall, towards his room. As he took long strides towards the small, dank place he called home Yobiri had one thing on his mind. "That guy sure is stiff, even for a puppet" Yobiri muttered under his breath as he quickly twisted the handle to his room.

As the door opened the sweet smells of various herbs and teas Yobiri slipped into his room quietly and shut the door behind him. With a heavy sigh Yobiri dropped on his bed and unzipped his jacket. Slowly dropping it onto the bed Yobiri stood up and headed to the mirror. He unzipped the side of his shirt and it dropped to the ground. He looked down at the padded shirt on the ground and sighed taking a deep breath. Yobiri flicked his hair back so that his long blond bangs dropped in a side bang. Without a moment to spare Yobiri headed towards a small tub in what was a makeshift hidden room and sighed as he twisted open the tap that allowed water to fill the basin. Slowly slipping into the bath Yobiri sighed in a much higher voice looking down into the water.

"Damn." Yobiri started in a much higher voice than he had used earlier. "Man business is harder than it looks."

Akatsuki Members Copied To Kishimoto

Yobiri Itadaka- Me


	2. Chapter 2 A blueskinned conflict

Yobiri rolled over in her sheets. She looked up at the ceiling quietly and then lazily, pushed herself into a sitting position. There was a quiet and slow knock on the door and without thinking Yobiri stood up and went to answer the knocking sound.

A lithe, shadowed figure walked into the door and quickly the dropped the bag she was carrying. "Don't answer the door like that." The woman whispered in an irritated tone. "Someone might find you out."

-Good morning to you too, Konan" Yobiri replied with a yawn.

The girl smiled, flicking back her smooth hair. With a small mutter a paper rose formed in her hands and without a moment's hesitation she handed it to Yobiri. Yobiri grinned, her eyes glowing dimly as she took the fragile flower in her palms. After a few moments of silence Konan looked down at the bag on the floor and then spoke quietly. "Here is another undershirt for you. I've realised your other one has gotten rather ratty."

Yobiri nodded and then picked up the bag with her small hands and placed it on her bed. She looked up at Konan with a gracious smile, her thanks reflecting in her icy blue eyes. Konan nodded slowly, blinked calmly and then quickly slipped into the hallway, shutting the door behind her.

Yobiri stretched quietly as Konan left and quickly opened the bag that he had been given. He flicked his blond hair back quickly put his arms through the short sleeves of the padded vest. Almost automatically Yobiri zipped up his shirt and then slipped on top of it his Akatsuki cloak.

The short ninja grabbed a small black velvet pouch and quickly walked out of his room with long strides. The light shone into Yobiri's eyes that he quickly closed and attempted to walk towards the kitchen, finding his way by using touch. He was about half way there when Yobiri opened his eyes. Although the light still stung Yobiri's eyes a bit that was not what bothered him, it was Tobi who had been at his side for the whole time. "Hi! Yobiri-san." He hollered with a wave.

"Tobi-kun, Hello." He replied before adding with a sigh. "You don't have to call me that, Call me Biri-ch—I mean Biri-kun."

Tobi looked at Yobiri giggled and then nodded "Okay, Biri-kun!" The two walked down the hall, Tobi mimicking Yobiri's movement. As they walked into the makeshift kitchen of the organization Tobi ran forward to tackle Deidara, to the ground from where he was standing. "Oi! Tobi, get off, un." He complained.

Yobiri shook his head with a sigh and quickly headed to the long counter where a large metal place stood with various pans and fryers on it heating up various foods and liquids for the rest of the members. Yobiri shoved over a few of the pots with a metal stake that was on the counter and then took out a kettle from under the counter, filled it with water and laid it on the grill.

Without a word Yobiri left the heated stove and sat in a small seat on the corner of the long table where the Akatsuki members all had a designated seat. He sat down with a slight nod to the other members and lifted his knees to his chest. Yobiri looked up vaguely and gazed around the table. Deidara was sitting next to Tobi, obviously still in shock from what news had been announced to him yesterday. The blondes looked at each other for a moment before Yobiri nodded with a small movement and quickly turned his attention to the conversation that was happening between the other members.

It took Yobiri a moment to realize that they were talking about nothing important, as usual. Quietly, the shortest member looked at the people sitting around the table starting with the member who was currently cracking a joke about how he could last twice as long as other men. Yobiri looked at his pale blue skin and was tempted to lean forward and touch it to see if it feels the same as his own skin but held himself back and instead asked the question. "Last twice as long in what?"

All of the members started to laugh and the man dutifully replied with the shake of his short dark navy hair. "Twice as long in bed, of course." He grinned, showing his white razor like teeth to Yobiri.

Yobiri shivered and then muttered "By your crude and perverted humour I can conclude that you must be Kisame-san."

The Nin looked at Biri and leaned forward looking at him straight in the eyes. "And by your boring and annoying remarks you must be the legendary Yobiri. The one we've heard about but never seen."

Yobiri was about to reply when Tobi cut in from his seat beside Deidara "His name is Yobiri Itadaka."

Kisame grunted and then challenged the blond who was watching him wearily. "And I bet you aren't that great or else you would have been out on more missions."

Yobiri took a deep breath, thinking momentarily before retorting "I was put on a team with Sasori-san, replacing Deidara-san so I can't be that bad."

Kisame was going to say something when he was cut off by a quiet figure who had been sitting beside him. The person looked up at Yobiri momentarily his dark eyes reflecting Yobiri's image and then turned to Kisame and muttered "Don't waste your energy, Kisame we have a mission today." The blue skinned ninja grunted and stood up to walk to the counter where he lifted a large metal pan from the heated plate.

Yobiri watched Kisame work until he had looked up and glared at his watcher. The blond pretended to gaze past him and looked at the kettle of water he had put out. With a curt nod, Yobiri pushed himself from his seat and then quickly walked over beside Kisame. The blue Nin was over a foot taller than Yobiri and could lean over him easily. "You're short, kid."

Yobiri glared at him and then turned to his kettle. Without a moment to waste he bent over and grabbed a cup from the shelf underneath the counter and poured some of the water into it until it reached the brim. The blond flicked back his hair calmly and then pulled out the black pouch he had been keeping in his sleeve and opened it. Smelling the scent of tea herbs, Yobiri quickly dumped the whole pouch into his water and jumped up onto the counter.

He had been in his own world and had yet to notice Kisame still standing there with his plate, hungrily devouring various foods on his plate. Yobiri looked up at his, annoyance flickering in his eyes and asked "What?"

Kisame hunched his shoulders and then chuckled "Blondie, you look a lot like a girl. Do you and Deidara have manicures with each other in your spare time?"

Yobiri stuck out his tongue at Kisame and was cut off quickly by the loud holler coming from Deidara. "Kisame! I've already told you I am not a girl, un!" The blond came to punch Kisame in a friendly way. Yobiri tried to escape but was stopped by Deidara standing in his way.

Deidara looked down at Yobiri with a grin on his face and commented "You are very short, Yobiri-chan."

Yobiri sighed holding his mug of tea and then replied in a grim tone "Well at least I don't use as much conditioner as you Dei-chan"

Deidara sighed heavily and then turned to the makeshift grill to go get his own breakfast.

Yobiri returned to his seat quietly and slowly sipped his tea only catching short parts of the conversation at the breakfast table, not saying another word for the rest of the morning.

Yobiri was sitting on the couch in the common room of the base and was reading his book. He had just reached the end of his novel and quickly put it on his lap and looked up at the roof to think about what he had just read.

"Hey Blondie" A voice started annoyingly.

Yobiri looked down from the roof onto the familiar, emotionless face of Sasori. The blond stood up quickly and bowed before replying quickly "Yes Sasori-san?"

Sasori blinked and then asked "Seeing as we are going to be partners, I'd like to know what kind of jutsu you specialize in. So I can put it in my plan."

Yobiri nodded. "I use Taijutsu and Medical Ninjutsu."

Sasori nodded and without another word walked out of the room, leaving Yobiri alone again. Yobiri sighed heavily and rolled his eyes sarcastically. The blond Nin quickly grabbed his book and headed back to his room, lazily to go drop his book.

Yobiri dropped his book quickly on his unmade bed and sighed. He looked around and thinking of nothing better to do, Yobiri decided to go train. Picking up a scroll on the counter Yobiri quickly ran out of his room quickly.

The Nin opened a door to big sandy arena. The dirt was all packed to the ground and it was obvious no one had been in here since the other day. Yobiri nodded and quickly unravelled the scroll he had brought with him. Biting his finger quickly, Yobiri dragged his blood across the clean paper and muttered the summoning words for his sword.

A big silver sword appeared on the ground. Its long shining blade was as long as Yobiri and it was fairly thick-edged. On the dull side there were a bunch of grooves in the metal that almost looked like little compartments. Attached to this blade was a slender ornate handle with a golden design of a bell carved into the side.

Yobiri was so into his sword, running his finger over the blades that he didn't realize somebody had entered the arena. "Shuiku. That's a powerful sword. How did you get your hands on it?"

Yobiri turned around quickly, jumping as he saw Kisame standing with Samehada. The blond nodded towards the senior Akatsuki member and replied. "This is my sword. I didn't get my hands on it. Shuiku came to me."

Kisame grumbled and retorted. "I would challenge you to a fight, but Itachi would yell at me." The shark skinned man leaned against the wall. "Mind if I watch?"

Yobiri nodded quietly and then quickly grabbed his sword with ease. He ran his air chakra through the hollow blade. As the blade swelled with Chakra the sharp cutting edges of pinkish chakra started to appear along the sword's edges. Kisame chuckled causing Yobiri to turn around. "What now, Kisame?"

Kisame grinned widely. "Your chakra is pink…"

Yobiri sighed and quickly got back to training, ignoring the other swordsman's comment.

Akatsuki belongs to Kishimoto.

Yobiri belongs to me.


	3. Chapter 3 Mission Start

Yobiri stood outside a door quietly and looked around. He stood there for a few minutes and then decided to sit down. He looked up at the roof with his hands on his knees. Yobiri was half asleep, almost nodding off when he felt someone kicked him. The blond looked up to a crouched figure glaring at him from small eyes. "Get up, Blondie."

Yobiri asked, dozily, "Sasori-san?"

The shadowed figure grunted and then lifted a hand, tossing a hat from his wooden fingers on Yobiri's head. "Now, Move it!"

The blond Nin grumbled and stood up quietly, flicking back his hair and putting the large hat onto his head. "Do I look mysterious, Sasori-san?" there was no reply as the two quietly stepped out of the base and into the heating light of the land of wind. Sasori muttered something quietly which could have been a complaint but didn't slow down one bit. Yobiri followed Sasori quietly in the heat. The silence kept its reign for the first part of the morning until the team had reached the outer walls of Sunakagure.

There were a few small caravans at the entrance of the village almost waiting expectantly for their arrival. As they spotted the two cloaked figures nearing them all of the men straightened themselves and flicked the sand from their clothing. Sasori lifted a hand in swift motion, signalling Yobiri to remain quiet.

One of the men came up to the Akatsuki teammates and greeted them. His voice was raspy as if he had been yelling too much yet he spoke with certain air of calmness. "Sasori-san, we are honoured to be having you with us on this journey to Konohagakure."

Sasori grunted quickly and then looked back to you Yobiri. "Yobiri-kun, Meet Ashinsei-san. He'll be helping us get to Konoha for our mission."

Yobiri bowed deeply and shook Ashinsei's outstretched hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you.

-Likewise" he replied eyeing him curiously. Yobiri felt a little uncomfortable by his stare and looked over at the caravans.

Sasori turned to Yobiri and then grumbled. "Get in the caravan that they tell you to. I will meet you there after I discuss some important details with Ashinsei-san."

Yobiri nodded hastily and then quickly ran off towards the caravans. He halted momentarily to ask one of the many people standing around the caravan where she should go. One of the men pointed to a large caravan with white drapes to cover the back and without time to waste Yobiri quickly leaped through the curtains.

The caravan was fairly empty aside from a few boxes and a small bundle of white cloth. Yobiri sat down and sighed. He looked at the big solid wooden walls of the caravan and sighed heavily. She pulled out a book from her sleeve and leaned back against one of the walls and opened the book to the front page. Yobiri looked at the title of her book and read it aloud unconsciously. "The art of demon summoning." He was just saying this when Sasori clambered into the caravan.

The Puppet master quickly pulled off the cloak from his back, revealing the big shield that covered the back of his puppet. Yobiri looked down at her book, trying to hide her curiosity as Sasori slipped out of his puppet armour and quickly slipped the cloak over his own shoulders. When he was done Sasori gently moved the puppet over with the gentle movement of his blue chakra strings that were attached to it. "What about your weapon?" Sasori asked suddenly looking up at Yobiri.

The blond looked up from his book and then replied to Sasori calmly. "I don't bother to carry my weapon around." Yobiri said pulling out a scroll from his sleeve "I use this to summon my sword."

"Does it have a name?" Sasori asked now paying full attention to Yobiri. "I mean, my puppets all have names and Kisame's sword has a name."

Yobiri looked at him curiously before responding. "Yes. My sword does have a name. It's called Shuiku. It's been my only family that I actually still love. I know that may sound weird but I never really knew my parents, they didn't die but they were much to busy to care about me so I lived by myself from a very young age and one day I met my sword."

Sasori looked at Yobiri. "I understand. I made my own parents."

Yobiri looked at Sasori and smiled slightly before Sasori grabbed the book off of his teammates lap. Of course, Sasori didn't walk, he simply used his chakra strings and lifted the book up into the air and pulled it towards himself. "Summoning Demons? Blondie, that's pretty complicated stuff."

Yobiri stuck out her tongue and then retorted. "It's not that hard at all." Yobiri waited for Sasori's response but he did nothing but blink without any emotion.

Yobiri quickly leaned forward and grabbed his book from Sasori's chakra's grasp and opened it. The blond began to read to himself; occasionally looking up at Sasori was sitting in absolute stillness looking around the small caravan. Yobiri shut the book quickly and gazed up at the motionless person. "Sasori-san, what are you doing?"

The puppet shook his head and then replied "I'm just bored, Blondie."

Yobiri dropped the book at her feet and then crunched his legs against his chest. "It's really hot in here; don't you think Sasori-san?"

Sasori shook his head slowly and then replied "No, Blondie, I don't feel heat. Neither do I feel the cold."

Yobiri sighed and then yawned sleepily. "I wonder if there is anyway I can get some sleep…"

Sasori looked at him and then asked "Why didn't you sleep during the night?"

Yobiri didn't know to reply. He stuttered a few incomprehensible words and then mumbled. "I… was training."

Sasori sighed. "You don't have to lie. We are partners, Blondie. I'll find out eventually." Sasori then muttered "I don't know. Just lie on your coat. I guess." The puppet tossed Yobiri the bundle of white sheets and then finished his sentence. "And you can cover yourself with these.

The sixteen year old looked at Sasori with a nod and then quickly turned himself to face the wall. He unzipped his coat and quickly laid it down on the ground. Sasori looked at Yobiri and then asked in a curious tone "What are you wearing?"

Yobiri looked down at the Tee-shirt he was wearing to cover the vest he wore. "Uh… I have negative body issues?" Yobiri suggested in a hopeful tone hoping that Sasori wouldn't ask any more questions.

Sasori nodded slightly not asking anymore questions to his partner.

Sighing, Yobiri flattened out his coat quickly and dropped onto it heavily. He turned quietly to face the wall and pulled the thin white cover over his shoulders and tried to sleep. Yobiri could feel Sasori looking at him and tried to ignore the feeling although at the edge of Yobiri's mind she could still feel the burning gaze of the Puppet master carve through the covers straight into Yobiri's skin.

_Yobiri managed to fall asleep however and fell into the depth of dreams. The darkness surrounded her and made her heart race in her ribcage. She suddenly felt something touch her shoulder gently and turned around to see a dark figure. Yobiri felt the tension rising in her chest as her heat began to beat faster. The figure had no eyes; it only had giant black orbs in its sockets and had a wide grin, showing all of its sharp pointy teeth. Yobiri shrieked and the sounds echoed around her head. The beast lifted its hand to touch Yobiri's shoulder but before the contact could be made Yobiri felt herself being pulled from her sleep._

Yobiri woke up to Sasori kicking him. "Hey, Blondie get up. You're making too much noise."

The blond jumped up from where he lay and looked at his teammate "What do you mean?

-I mean keep your dreams to yourself. No one wants to hear you scream."

Yobiri glared at Sasori and then asked. "What time is it?"

-It's about Mid-afternoon. Now if you're no longer tired maybe I can brief you on your mission.

Yobiri sat down calmly and nodded. "Okay, what's the mission, Sasori-san?"

The puppet leaned forward and then muttered. "Listen closely Blondie. I'm only going to say this once. Our mission is to take back a hostage to the base. It's pretty simple. Do you understand?"

"I fully understand, Sasori-san" Yobiri replied with a sly grin.

~Akatsuki belongs to Kishimoto.

~Yobiri Itadaka belongs to me.


	4. Chapter 4 At home

Yobiri zipped up her cloak. She looked at Sasori who was just sitting there cleaning Hiruko's shell. The puppet master looked up vaguely at Yobiri and nodded as he quickly leaped out of the back of the caravan.

Outside the sun was setting although it already looked dark. Yobiri looked up to the big lofty trees that hid the caravan from the sky and smiled. He felt at home. Yobiri quickly walked up to one of the people who were hanging around the caravans and asked curiously. "Where are we?"

The person looked up and then replied in a loud carefree voice. "We just entered the Land of Fire."

Yobiri nodded, feeling the pressure rise in her chest. For some reason all he wanted to do was climb into the trees and leap around endlessly, feel the wind rush through her short hair. Suddenly she couldn't take anymore. Yobiri walked off of the trail and leaped onto one of the trees. The scent of musk blew into Yobiri's face as she stretched up on the branch of the tree. With a tentative leap Yobiri bounded onto a branch of the tree next to the one she was on and landed with only a little problem. Yobiri crouched down on the branch to listen to the sound of the birds.

Yobiri listened to her racing heart slowly slow down to follow the gentle rhythm of the wind through the branches. With a slow movement Yobiri dropped her small hand onto her chest and pressed into the soft padding of her vest. She tried to feel her heart beat but couldn't and so she quickly dropped her hand back down to her side. Yobiri grinned to herself, right now she felt so free and familiar. It was almost as Yobiri had been familiar with every tree in this forest, from every massive trunk to every tiny leaf.

Yobiri's eyes flicked open and suddenly he remembered about what he come here to do. Yobiri had come her on a mission with Sasori, he had to stay focused; this wasn't vacation. This was his first mission. The Akatsuki member stood up and quickly jumped off of the tall tree. With precise timing and taijutsu, Yobiri landed as if he had just taken a step and quickly began to run off towards the way he had come. As he ran out onto the road he quickly recognized the sounds of the caravan and headed in its direction.

The Nin quickly spotted the caravan and instantly pinned down the one what Sasori was in by its size. Without wasting any time Yobiri quickly jumped into the slow moving caravan with ease. He landed in the caravan and grinned looking up at Sasori. "Sasori-san, hi!"

Sasori looked up from his puppet and then asked "What were you doing?" While he was waiting for an answer Sasori turned back to his puppet and kept on polishing the shell on its back.

Yobiri sat down on the covers and then replied. "I was outside in the forest. It was so magical."

Sasori didn't look up, only commenting "Blondie, you know you sound like a girl when you say that?"

Yobiri looked up quickly and then growled. "I'm not a girl, Sasori-san."

-I know" Sasori retorted "You're just like Dei-chan, Oh god. Please don't tell me you think art is a bang."

Yobiri shook his head as she held back a yawn. "I don't really have a point of view on art, although explosions at four in the morning are rather annoying."

Sasori grumbled and quickly added before getting back to working on his puppet. "Blondie, you better get some sleep tonight."

Yobiri stuck out his tongue before stripping of his coat and lying down on it.

Yobiri had been reading and from the light entering the caravan he determined it was already dark. He turned over lazily and then sighed. Yobiri's eyes turned to Sasori who was carefully mixing poisons. "Hey, Sasori-san, Can you feel emotion?"

Sasori looked up at Yobiri, without any difference in his facial expression and then replied. "Not really. I feel very little but I can feel major emotions, anything that affects my heart's pulse."

"Do you regret turning yourself into a puppet, Sasori-san?"

Sasori continued to look at Yobiri as he replied. "I've never thought about it. Being human made me weaker.

-So you don't regret it?

-Blondie, I never said that. I believe if I had emotions I would regret doing this to myself. But I cannot regret."

Yobiri looked at his team mate confused and quickly lifted up her book from the floor. The blond flicked over to the third chapter of his book and quietly began to read while Sasori went back to mixing his poisons.

Yobiri had barely read the first page of her manual when she tossed her book at Sasori and reached out for the white covers on the floor of the caravan. The puppet master grabbed the book in midair as if it was in slow-motion and quickly threw it back to Yobiri. His partner however wasn't expecting a book being thrown at him and he was more than surprised when his own book hit him in the head. "Ow! Sasori-san, what was that for?"

Sasori was barely paying attention to Yobiri but still muttered "I felt like it."

Yobiri nodded until he realized what he had said and then asked "Wait! I thought you said you couldn't feel?"

The puppet master only sighed and then returned to his potion mixing after commanding "Blondie, go to bed. You'll need energy for our mission."

Yobiri quietly turned around to face the wall of the caravan and went to sleep

Yobiri woke up to the sound of the birds' songs. The caravan was at a halt and only small trickles of light reached in through the caravan's opening. The blond flipped over and looked at her partner who was still leaning against the side of the caravan. Yobiri quickly sat up and ran a hand down his mess of hair. As he matted down his hair he heard the emotionless voice of his partner cross the caravan. "Good, you're up."

Yobiri looked up at Sasori and then replied slowly. "Yes I'm up. Where are we?"

The puppet master muttered under the cool sound of the wind. "We are here."

Yobiri looked at Sasori with confusion and turned to look out of the curtains that covered the back of the caravan. Sure enough, they were in a small alley surrounded by high buildings. The Nin looked around but couldn't find any of the other caravans and then quickly slid back into the warmth of the shelter. "So what do we do now, Sasori-san?"

Sasori looked at him unemotionally and then said "Now we go get our hostage."

Yobiri looked at him curiously and then asked "Won't they recognize us from our uniforms."

"Right" Sasori replied "Here you go Blondie" he said tossing Yobiri a bundle of clothes. "You're going to be disguising yourself as a ninja of the village. I'll be with you at every moment, watching from the darkness but I can't risk showing my face, I'm already infamous in this village. You will return here to rest and this is where I'll meet with you to devise our plan further. And here" he continued handing her a small folder that he pulled from his sleeve. "This is the information on the hostage we will be taking. It should not be too much of a challenge but don't let your guard down. After you catch him, knock him out and meet me out in the forest. I'll meet you there. Do you understand, Blondie?"

Yobiri nodded and then quickly unwrapped the clothing. He turned bright red as she pulled out a skirt and a short shirt from the bag. "What is this Sasori-san?"

-Oh right. I forgot to mention. You will be disguising yourself as a girl. Now I'll leave you to get dressed." He said sliding into his puppet Hiruko and jumping out of the caravan.

Yobiri sighed and then quickly unzipped her coat. As it fell to the caravan floor she quickly opened the side of her padded vest. She quickly stuffed that under her coat and then slipped on the shirt that had been provided. Yobiri flicked the dust from the blue material and then without wasting time slipped on the skirt. She shivered as she felt the wind and looked around for something to keep her exposed legs warm. Yobiri found nothing amongst her belongings but a pair of tight black leggings and with a sigh slipped them on her ankles. Yobiri grabbed a small scroll and stuffed it in one of the filled shuriken compartments, knowing that she could always pull out shuiku if it was needed.

Yobiri leaped out of the caravan silently and without another moment of doubt quickly walked out into the shining streets of Konohagakure.

~Akatsuki belongs to Kishimoto

~Yobiri belongs to Me


	5. Chapter 5 Unlikely Coincidence?

The sun shone off of Yobiri's messy hair. The path underfoot was padded down heavily by the thousand of people who had already passed this way. Something felt oddly familiar to Yobiri as she looked up at the big red building of the Hokage. She couldn't help but smile as she turned her attention to a little girl prancing in the opposite direction, holding her mother's hand.

A scent wafted past Yobiri and her stomach growled. She hadn't eaten since yesterday morning and right now all she could think off was filling herself full of food. She picked out her wallet out of out of the shuriken pouches that contained everything of value to her, including the summoning scroll for her sword Shuiku. She opened her wallet slightly and spotted a few bills with the image of Konohagakure on it. She grinned.

Unconsciously her feet brought her to a small shop where the scent of fresh ramen overpowered all of Yobiri's senses. She quickly flicked open the curtains and sat on the only remaining free seat. She looked up at the girl how was waiting there with her arms crossed and then said "Get me a bowl with everything on it." She muttered hungrily.

Yobiri was so intent on waiting for he food she didn't realize that the other people at the counter had become silent and where all staring at her. Yobiri turned her head as she heard quiet muttering about her. As she looked up she spotted four ninja and looked them over.

The first was a girl not much taller than Yobiri herself. Her hair was the color of a sunrise and her eyes were the color of salty water. She was sitting next to a ninja, about the height of Sasori. He had a cheeky grin on under his sky blue eyes and spiked blond hair. The next person was busy eating a bowl of Ramen with extreme speed. His hair was everywhere, held back by his headband. From what Yobiri could tell he had swirls on his cheeks in bright red paint. The last of the ninja sat closest to Yobiri. His hair was shining in the light and was cut in the style of a bowl cut. He wore tight green spandex and orange legwarmers.

The last one struck Yobiri and she couldn't bring herself to take her eyes off of him. He seemed so familiar that Yobiri felt almost as if this person was her family. The blond shook her head quickly and then said with a sweet voice. "Hi, I'm Miki."

The first one to reply was the pink haired girl. "Hello. I'm Sakura, This is Naruto" she said pointing to the boy with spiky blond hair who was busy looking at her. "That there is Choji," The person who was busy eating his ramen looked up for a second, muttered something and then returned to his bowl. "And that's Rock Lee."

The last boy gave Yobiri a thumbs up and then said loudly. "I am the handsome devil of the leaf village!"

Yobiri looked at him and giggled lifting up her small hand to her mouth. She was about to reply when a bowl of food was placed in front of her. Yobiri's attention flickered to the food and quickly grabbed a pair of chopsticks she quietly grabbed a piece of meat and swallowed in quickly feeling it slide down her throat. As she swallowed she turned back to the four ninjas. The one, who had called herself Sakura asked Yobiri calmly. "What village are you from?"

Yobiri looked down at the headband she had tied around her neck and lifted it up to show the others the symbol of Konohagakure. "I'm a chunin of this village."

They all looked at her curiously and all of them kept quiet except for Naruto. He turned around and then replied. "That's weird. I haven't seen you around."

Yobiri grinned and then replied. The lie slipping through her lips easily. "I'm under special training to become ANBU Black ops."

-Oh that makes sense." Naruto replied and returned his attention to his Ramen.

Yobiri turned her attention back to Rock Lee who was looking at her. "You remind me of someone." He muttered half-consciously.

Yobiri froze. She was now almost certain she knew this person at some point. If he recognized her and she recognized him then they must have met. Yobiri shook her head and looked at the unopened folder that she had put down on the counter. Her mind turned back to Sasori and the Akatsuki. This was a mission, she couldn't forget it. Yobiri refused to get distracted from her mission. All of the Akatsuki's plans were depending on her.

Yobiri nodded to Rock Lee's comment and then turned her attention to her food which she quickly began to eat. The hot soup drizzled down her throat, burning its trail but Yobiri was too hungry to care. In barely five minutes Yobiri had finished her bowl and looked up at the four other people, including even Choji who were all in shock at how fast she ate.

Yobiri grinned and explained. "I haven't eaten in a while."

They all blinked causing to Yobiri to giggle. There was an awkward silence which was broken by Yobiri getting up. "I'll see you guys around." She lied before quickly walking off.

Yobiri looked back momentarily at the Ramen shop, remembering to have left some money and assuring herself that she did she quickly turned into a dark alley. She sat down in the darkness, making sure to not stain her clothes and open the folder. She read over the instructions that Sasori had left and then flipped over the image of the ninja she was going to take hostage.

Yobiri suddenly dropped the folder on the ground and blinked. She closed the folder quickly tucking underneath her arm and dashing back into the light. She looked around and then, spotting, a familiar bowl-cut amongst the crowded street rushed up to the person's side. "Hi, Rock Lee-san!"

Lee turned around and then replied. "Oh, hi Miki-chan."

Yobiri smiled and then asked. "What are you up to?"

-I was going to train with my sensei" he replied quietly.

"Ooh, Do you think I could come and watch?" she asked with a grin. "Maybe I could improve my taijutsu by watching you."

Rock Lee nodded quickly and flashed Yobiri a smile "You can come and witness my Youthful Sensei!"

Yobiri giggled and quickly followed Rock Lee closely as to not get lost. The leader quickly ran into an alley and then added. "Sorry. It's just rather crowded out in the streets. It would take to long to get to the training camp."

Yobiri giggled and nodded "Its fine."

As they were running Yobiri sped up her pace to keep pace at Rock lee's pace. He looked at her curiously. "You're pretty quick."

Yobiri made a little face and then replied. "Maybe you're just slow."

Rock Lee shed a tear quietly before hollering. "I will have to prove my youthfulness to you when you observe my training."

Yobiri laughed. "Don't get your panties in a knot, Rock Lee-san."

Lee looked at her awkwardly. "I'm not wearing any. It ruins the Spandex pact I made with my sensei.

Yobiri giggled as they broke out of the shadows of the alleys and into a grassy training area. There were a few targets covered in various weapons aside from one that had been stripped of everything and was not being used as practice target for a tall Nin. The ninja looked up wiping some sweat from his forehead. His hair was in the same style as Rock Lee's and he wore the same clothing too. "That's my sensei, Maito Gai." Rock Lee muttered under his breath to Yobiri as the older of the two bowl cut men headed their way.

Maito Gai had begun to grin as he noticed his student and then exclaimed loudly. "Ah! Lee you're late."

Lee apologized quietly and then motioned to Yobiri. "This is my new friend her name is Miki."

Gai's face instantly stiffened. "Yo-Yobiri? Is that you?"

The girl's face froze. How did he know her name?

~Konohagakure and ninjas belong to Kishimoto~

~Biri belongs to me~


	6. Chapter 6 Home?

Yobiri blinked at Maito Gai. "Uh… No, my name is Miki, and you must be Maito Gai-sama."

Gai looked at the blond, obviously unconvinced but none-the-less turned his attention to his pupil. "Go start with a warm-up lap around Konoha." And with that Lee was off.

Gai turned back to the girl who was trying to sneak away. "Yobiri, I know it's you."

The blond looked at him and considered denying that was her name. However she was just awful at lying so instead she just nodded looking down. "It is me. I am Yobiri Itadaka."

The man looked at her and grinned. "'Biri!" Gai lifted Yobiri in a hug, squishing her strongly.

The girl stiffened as he dropped her back down. "What was that for?"

-You don't remember me? I'm Maito Gai, I used to care for you." He replied.

~*~ Flashback ~*~

Yobiri looked up at the sky from her place lying quietly on the grass. The clouds formed in the blue summer sky of Konoha and the cool wind blew onto the girl's face. Today was the best day ever. Today the girl's parents were going to be coming home from the land of Tea and the weather was more beautiful than all the trees in the forests of Konohagakure.

Yobiri sighed happily and sat up lazily. She gazed around, spotting her friends, well friend. She spotted Ten-Ten and grinned grabbing the girl in a hug. Both of them tumbled into the ground until Biri called "Truce! Truce! You win Ten-Ten!"

The girl giggled, getting off of her friend and lifted her up.

A small Neji stood there with his arms crossed. "Grow up, Biri. You're too childish."

The blond giggled covering her face with her hands. "Neji, you need to slow down. My mommy says you can only be a child once.

-It's my destiny to grow up, Biri."

The little girl giggled and then retorted. "Well if it's your destiny to grow up, what is Braid's destiny?" Yobiri looked over her shoulder at a small kid with his hair pulled back in a braid. "I mean he doesn't even have any Chakra…"

Neji snorted loudly flicking back his hair. "He doesn't have a destiny. He'll probably never graduate the academy anyways."

Both Biri and Ten-Ten giggled at Neji's joke. "Let's go inside. I'm afraid Braids will try something silly." Ten-Ten commented dragging Biri and Neji by the wrists. As they were being rushed inside Biri looked back vaguely at the boy who was busily kicking a tree.

As the three children walked into the classroom Biri noticed Iruka, their teacher talking with a man wearing tight spandex, she giggled. "Hey look who it is."

Neji looked over at Gai and then sighed. "If he ever becomes our sensei someone take a kunai and stab me."

Before Yobiri could say anything else Iruka called her name and without rime to waste the little girl walked up to her teacher. She grinned widely and then said "What's up Iruka-sensei?"

The teacher bent down to kneel in front of Yobiri. "Biri, darling, this is Maito Gai and he's going to care for you from now on."

Yobiri snorted looked up at the Jounin. "What about Mommy and Daddy. They are even stronger than the spandex man. Why can't they care for me?"

Tears built up in Yobiri's blue eyes, already knowing what the answer was. Her parents had finally abandoned her.

~*~ End Flashback ~*~

Yobiri pondered. "Nope, it doesn't ring a bell. Sorry"

Gai sighed and replied with a smile "Its okay. I guess you're back now, that's what matters. Now go take a warm-up lap, we'll need to get you back in shape."

Biri nodded quietly and headed off in the direction Lee had left.

While she was running Yobiri thought of her mission and the Akatsuki. Her mind flickered back to the fight she had gotten into with Kisame at breakfast a week ago and sighed. Everything seemed so simple back then. How was she supposed to finish her mission now? Yobiri sighed heavily She couldn't just go and excuse herself from Gai with a ninja under arm. Suddenly she remembered something and flicked the bent folder from under her shirt. Yobiri's pace slowed as she opened the folder and looked down at the picture. Staring at her was a shy face of a girl. She belonged to the Byakugan clan, which could be told by her particular eyes. The Akatsuki member sighed. She didn't know where to start looking for this girl let alone how to catch her off guard. And now she was somehow bound to a jounin of this village. Yobiri closed the folder and stuck it under her shirt. She quickly put her attention back to running and sped up, determined to catch up to Lee.

In no time Biri caught up to Rock Lee.

"Miki-chan, what was up with Gai-sensei?"

Yobiri lifted her shoulders smoothly and flicked back her blond hair. "I don't know. Don't worry we got it all sorted out."

Lee nodded and sped up a few paces. "Come on, Miki-chan, you're too slow."

The rest of the run was a quiet race between the two Nin. As they halted in front of Gai, Yobiri caught sight of Hiruko's tail in the forest behind the jounin. Sasori was here, watching. Yobiri turned her attention back to the two Konohagakure Nin and then asked, the words spilling out from her lips. "Uh, Can I be excused for a minute?"

Maito Gai looked at Yobiri and raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

The girl sighed and then whispered to the man. "I need a little girl's room."

The sensei turned red and then nodded pushing Yobiri away towards the village; he then turned to his student and yelled. "While she goes off I want you to warm-up. Five hundred push-ups! Go!"

Lee nodded enthusiastically "Yosh Sensei!"

Yobiri shook his head quietly and walked into the forest. He lifted himself onto his toes and then whistled, signalling that it was safe for Sasori to show himself. With the blink of an eye Sasori was standing in the center of the clearing in his puppet, Hiruko.

"What do you want Sasori-sama?" Yobiri asked, his icy eyes burning with curiosity.

The gaze of Hiruko looked up at Yobiri dully "We're leaving."

-What?" Yobiri asked pushing his bangs behind his ears. "I'm nearly finished the mission. You can't let me go back now!"

From within his puppet Sasori looked at his partner. "Stop lying. First you're really bad at it and second I've been watching you. You've gotten too personal with the other ninjas. We'll just get Deidara to dress up as a girl and do this mission." The puppet quickly lifted his jointed arm and threw a black bundle at the blond Nin. "Get changed, out of that and release that jutsu you used for those." He said motioning to Yobiri's shirt.

Yobiri nodded his head and then commented quietly. "I'll get changed and meet you near Nara forest."

Sasori sighed. "Why cause so much trouble? We're both technically male."

-Technically?" Yobiri asked trying to make the fear in his voice.

"Blondie, I'm a puppet okay? Get over it."

Yobiri looked down at his feet. "I don't want to be watched getting changed.

"Fine." The puppet said shaking his head in annoyance. "You have minutes to meet me by Nara forest."

Almost as Sasori finished speaking he vanished with the wind leaving nothing but a trail of fluttering leaves in his path. Yobiri sighed heavily and stripped himself of the female clothing he had been wearing. He quickly hoisted the vest around his torso, zipped it up, and slipped over it his cloak. Yobiri had been so into getting changed without being seen he had forgotten to take off the headband he had been wearing and to replace it with his small circular pendant.

Yobiri looked down at the headband and did not want to drop it. The blond had never really kept any of the headbands he had been given. Yobiri had had many of them due to the fact that he would only train in a village as long as he could keep undercover. The only actual training he had receives was from a ninja who had taught him about swordsmanship. "What was his name?" Biri muttered. He eventually gave up the train of thought and looked up at the leafy bed above him. Could he have lived here?

Yobiri shook his head. Right now was not the time to be thinking about this. Sasori wasn't good at waiting for anyone and right now Yobiri was not up for the Nin's complaints.

~Akatsuki and Konohagakure+ ninjas belong to Kishimoto

~Biri belongs to me.


	7. Chapter 7 Swordsman Away!

Yobiri rushed out into the field. He looked around and quickly spotted Hiruko standing still in the light. He quickly ran to his partner and bowed. "I'm here Sasori-sama."

The puppet looked up and growled. "Good. Now let's go. We have a long trip ahead of us." Hiruko's joints clicked loudly and he started to move slowly.

Yobiri walked by his master's side under the sunlight. He played around with the shuriken pouch that he used to keep all his valuables and slipped out a small scroll. Yobiri flicked the paper around his fingers and turned to Sasori. "Hey Sasori-Sama, why did I have to play a girl exactly?" he asked curiously.

The person inside the puppet replied quietly. "I don't know orders of Konan-san and Leader-sama."

Biri giggled to himself. "I see. This is her fault."

Hiruko lifted his head and growled. "It doesn't matter anyways, you failed this mission."

The blond looked taken aback as she replied. "What? How is this, my fault?"

-Well you got too involved in this mission. Your goal was to get in and get out, but no. You had to befriend not one, but two ninja. Did you even do anything to aid the mission? I wonder how you even got into the Akatsuki."

Yobiri looked at the puppet with an air of arrogance. "What are you talking about? How can you blame this on me?"

-Blondie, wake up. This is an S-ranked mission and it is vital to the survival of the Akatsuki. Honestly, I wonder how you got into the Akatsuki."

Yobiri looked down at her partner. "How is this, my fault?"

-You should have focused solely on the mission of course."

Before Yobiri could retort he felt something knock the side of his head and before long he fell unconscious.

Yobiri's eyes fluttered open as he stirred awake. The light coming from the pale white sphere in the dark sky illuminated a figure leaning over him.

"You're up, finally!"

Yobiri stiffened slightly and reached down to her shuriken pouch to summon up Shuiku.

"Yobiri-kun, it's me, relax."

The blond shook his head tiredly and yawned. "Oh. Hi, Fishy."

-My name is not Fishy" the voice replied annoyed pulling Yobiri up onto his feet. "Now what do you remember?"

Yobiri blinked and after a moment of silence breathed. "I was walking with Sasori-sama and then, well, I don't really remember anything after that. Why are you here Fishy?"

-My name is not Fishy. It's Kisame. Ki-Sa-Me. Get it right."

The shorter of the two people looked up dazed and then asked. "Ki-Sa-Me, what happened after I was knocked out?"

-Well" Kisame explained quietly. "You were knocked out by the Nin that Itachi-san and I were chasing. Seeing as we couldn't wake you up Itachi-san thought it would be best to leave right away with Sasori-san while I waited for you to wake up. As soon as you're ready we are supposed to head towards the land of the water and go catch up with the others. Do you understand Ri-chan?"

Yobiri looked confused as she asked. "My name isn't Ri and I'm no girl."

-Well, I'm not calling you Yobiri-sama. I'm obviously superior to you."

-That's not fair. At least call me Biri-kun."

Kisame patted the blond on the head and then grunted. "Okay, deal, Biri-kun."

Biri grinned and then asked in a quieter tone. "So, Sasori-sama is gone?"

The shark-man nodded "You seem disappointed. Come it will be us two swordsman and lots of ladies."

The blond looked uncertain and then asked. "How about we train instead? I'd like to test my strength against you."

Kisame glared down at Biri in disbelief. "You're probably just jealous because I'd last longer."

-Yea sure, now let's go."

The Swordsman of the Mist chuckled. "Sure, why not." With a long finger he pointed towards the empty horizon and without time to waste Yobiri quickly began to prance off in the direction that he had been directed to quickly enough not to hear Kisame comment. "He sure acts like a girl."

Yobiri looked up at the night sky and smiled. "Look, Kisame-san. It's so beautiful."

Kisame blinked and looked straight at Biri. "Sure, whatever."

-But I mean, Kisame-san, just look up. It's like a thousand silver fish rushing down a dark river."

Kisame licked his lips. "Did you say fish?"

Yobiri giggled. "Kisame-san has such a short attention span."

-And you're just short in general, Biri-kun." Kisame retorted lifting Samehada over his shoulder lazily.

The blond stuck out his tongue at his temporary partner and then asked. "Do you like your partner, Kisame-san?"

The shark-man nodded. "I think Itachi-san is an amazing Nin and I'm rather honoured to be his partner. What about yourself, Biri-kun? Do you like Sasori-san?"

-Yes." Biri replied without thought. He shook his head and then added. "Sasori-san is a very skilled person; however he's too quiet and serious for my liking."

Kisame looked around curiously and then commented quietly. "Biri-kun, let's make camp here, okay?"

Without a word Yobiri dropped down onto the ground and spread out of the leafy floor. He pushed back his hair and looked over at Samehada, Kisame's sword that had been dropped on the ground. Its handle glimmered darkly attracting Biri to it. The blond crawled forward until he was hovering over the sword; his icy eyes the size of golf balls; almost like a child in a candy shop.

Kisame dropped on the other side of his sword after having sprawled out his cloak on the ground. The blue-skinned man looked over at Biri curiously and then asked. "Aren't you going to lie down?"

The little Nin nodded, quickly pulling off his cloak and putting it under him. Kisame lifted a curious brow as he spotted Yobiri's padded vest but didn't comment instead turning his attention to Biri. "You're glaring at my sword, Biri-kun."

The blond turned her attention from the sword to Kisame. "Sorry, it's not everyday that I get to be face-to-face with one of the legendary swords."

Kisame grinned widely, his sharp teeth glistering in the dim light. "If I didn't know better I'd say that was a compliment."

Biri flicked back his hair. "If I didn't know better I'd say you were crazy."

The duo glared at each other until Biri commented. "I'd challenge you to a sword's man duel but I know that you'd be victorious, because after all my Shuiku is dependant on my chakra and your sword absorbs every drop of energy the opponent has."

-For a blond you're not totally stupid. Wow I'm impressed, Biri-kun."

Biri pushed himself onto his ankles and leaned over Samehada, punching Kisame in the side.

The shark-man looked up and asked in a grim tone. "What kind of punch was that? I'd say that tickled but I would be lying because honestly I felt nothing."

The little blond lied back down and looked at the sky. Ever silver stone was in place around the pale disk that was the moon. From the Sound to the Leaf, Yobiri had always felt comfort in the twinkling of each star no matter what disasters had happened. He stretched her arms back calmly and looked down at himself, falling into a silent sleep.

~Akatsuki and Konohagakure+ ninjas belong to Kishimoto

~Biri belongs to me.


End file.
